CLARTAH023 - From Turner to Picasso: Art in a Changing World
Art historian Dr. Leo Costello explores how 19th- and 20th-century artists from J. M. W. Turner to Picasso responded to periods of great social, technological, cultural and political change. Grounded in a deep study of Romantic artist Joseph Mallord William Turner, this course considers how artists have reacted to times of turmoil and transformation such as the advent of the railroad, the French Revolution, and even the volcanic eruptions that blotted out the sun in Turner’s life. We also examine Turner’s contemporaries such as Goya and David, who either embraced the tumult of their eras or sought to create happier, nostalgic worlds. Spanning more than 100 years, the course concludes with a study of 20th-century artists like Pablo Picasso and peers such as Monet and Matisse, who contended with urbanism and war by making works immersed in the brutal realities of the day or by embracing art as a joyful refuge.
Course Details
Leo Costello, Ph.D., is an associate professor of art history at Rice University. He specializes in 18th- through 20th-century European art as well as Marxist theory and aesthetics. He is the author of “J. M. W. Turner and the Subject of History” (Ashgate, 2012), and is at work on another book on Turner. Dr. Costello was formerly curatorial assistant in the department of prints and drawings at the Museum of Fine Arts, Houston. Dr. Costello received his Ph.D. from Bryn Mawr College, has taught many courses with the Glasscock School of Continuing Studies and is a four-time finalist for the George R. Brown teaching award at Rice.
On campus
This course will be delivered on campus/in person. Classroom and parking information will be sent prior to your course start date.
Department of Art History, Rice University